At the International Renewable Energy Center, President Bush was shown a modified plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius and a Mack truck with a biodiesel-friendly Volvo engine. According to The Detroit News, Bush sang the body politic electric. "We want our city people driving not on gasoline but on electricity. And the goal, the short-term goal, is to have vehicles that are capable of driving the first 40 miles on electricity." (Not coincidentally, 40 miles is the projected EV range of the Chevy Volt.) While the Prez signed an energy bill mandating 36b gallons of ethanol by 2022, he's refused to fund advanced battery research (chump change at $500m over five years). "We've got to get off oil," the former oilman pronounced. "Dependency on oil presents a real challenge to our economy." Yeah, but how about political dependency on subsidies?

he’s refused to fund advanced battery research (chump change at $500m over five years).

Why fund battery research when private companies are already investing very heavily in that sector? Laptops, cell phones and industrial uses all place plenty of market demand on battery research that it makes more sense for .gov to spend their money researching other things.

Where were you during the early 2006 SOTU address, where he said we were “addicted to oil” and had to find alternatives? Since then it’s all been about alternatives from him (E85, electric, fuel cells, bio-diesel) but meanwhile all that oil sits in ANWR and the freakin’ Chinese are drilling for oil in our frontyard (Gulf of Mexico) – ’cause we can’t.

Chuck: Well the source article said, “a Volvo engine that can run on biodiesel,” which I found clumsy and misleading. Saying a “Volvo biodiesel” made no sense either, and saying a “Volvo diesel that can run biodiesel” would imply that some can’t so I chose “biodiesel-friendly Volvo engine” which still highlights the biodiesel angle even though it actually just means that its a diesel made by Volvo.

Windswords: In terms of how much it would add to daily production, there isn’t all that much oil in ANWR or the Gulf.

Hmmm…Dubya is pushing something on the American people. Well – he’s never steered us down the wrong path. So let’s go and not think twice or doubt his backbone to stand up to his lobbyists or secret backers.

I wouldn’t get excited by what he says. He sat on his can for 7 years and made no attempt to assist in resolving the Palestinian issue and one day he’s all wired about getting it done in his term. Since then – nothing. He’s done this a number of times. I wonder at the scenario; “Mr. President, maybe you should make a statement showing you’re interest in xx”. “OK, I’ll do that. How did you pronounce that again?”

I’ve noticed he’s very careful with enunciation of particular words and feels he has to explain their meaning to us. I’ve thought he that maybe he just learned these things himself and, knowing he’s in the upper levels of intelligence and knowledge of the society he leads, feels compelled to teach us.